Distance/Difficulty
Distance: 4.7 miles / Difficulty: Easy
In my previous article, I wrote about discovering 177 miles of urban and natural adventure!
Today, I want to share our first 28 segments on the Denver Orbital Trail. We intentionally tackle the segments out of order and sometimes in opposing directions. I base my section decision on several factors, including time, accessibility, weather, and sometimes because there is an excellent restaurant awaiting at the end that we want to experience.
Today is our gentle introduction to this trail adventure. I didn’t want to overwhelm my wife, Beth, with 27 more segments to go, and Today was a delightful start. Less than five miles, this easy Trail winds through neighborhoods along the High Line Canal, with scattered wildlife like snakes, foxes, rabbits, and prairie dogs adding to the charm.
The Trail briefly starts on a sidewalk alongside Chambers Road before dipping into a neighborhood on a paved trail. We’ve picked a great morning. It’s brisk enough to wake us up but pleasant enough to require no more than a light jacket.
Signs line the Trail. Some are graffiti-covered but are still readable in both English and Spanish. They describe the plant life, trees, wildlife, and history of the Highline Canal Trail. We learn that the canal was forged between 1880 and 1883, not for recreation but for the commercial purpose of bringing South Platte River water 71 miles up to settlers and farmers who came to Colorado during the 1859 Gold Rush. At its peak, the rerouted water irrigated 25,000 acres of farms and ranches through 165 headgates. Headgates, sometimes called Ditch Gates, are primary gates or valves that open or close to regulate water flow entering an irrigation system.
Discover the Denver Orbital Trail:
The Highline Canal to Sand Creek
Today, the Canals no longer provide irrigation delivery. But the route created is a great reminder and offers an appreciation for how repurposing rather than disposing of such a route has turned it into a great recreational area.
As we continue, we see the footprints of some wildlife that have chosen to leave proof of their visit in previously wet cement. A bit further down the Trail, we learn about the importance of the Cotton Tree in the echo system along the Trail and how the tree’s long roots help reduce soil erosion. Its buds and bark are an essential food and habitat resource for the rabbits, deer, squirrels, insects, and birds living in Aurora.
The signs prompt children (or, in our case, the childlike) to look for wildlife, including great horned owls, bald eagles, blue jays, squirrels, raccoons, bees, spiders, and even snakes, which live around these trees.
The highlight of this Trail is the lesser-known Morrison Nature Center along the beautiful Sand Creek Trail. For the more adventurous, many distracting and beautiful detours are available. We stray from the path and explore the sandy trails closer to the creek before reaching a crossing too deep to get across dryly. So we head back to the pavement and toward where we left one of our vehicles.
It is a short trip. But long enough to enjoy some time together, swap some stories, and, like Billy Joel’s piano provided for thousands of New York City barflies, “to forget about life for a while.” — Albeit without the hangover the next day.
I mentioned in my previous article that we plan to ride our bicycles on several segments. This segment could easily have qualified. However, as short as it was, covering less than 5 miles on a bike makes for a brief outing. So, combining it with another segment would be best if you decide to bike instead of walk.
Route Lessons
We learned the value of planning our vehicle drop-off and pick-up on this journey. While there are public transportation options nearby, their schedules can be limiting. Calling an Uber or Lyft is an option, but we found it convenient to park one car at the end of the Trail and drive back to the beginning together. This way, we had a vehicle waiting for us at the end of our walk. It also removes the stress of worrying about transportation or cutting an adventure short due to transportation schedules.
Picking the direction is critical when breakfast or lunch is involved with the adventure, which it most often is. Today, we started at the Peoria and 6th end of the Trail. That was not by happenstance but a strategic move on my part. It is twofold. One, as I investigate the trial segments, it is clear that some are more scenic than others. My first goal is to end at the more picturesque points so we work up to something. But I also like to look for more populated areas so that we can visit local businesses.
Today, my ulterior motive included wanting to end (where we started) so I could introduce Beth to one of my favorite restaurants in Denver: Tacos Selene! The food here is fresh and tasty, and the tables are always full of families and friends smiling, enjoying a meal, and swapping stories in various combinations of Spanish and English. The menu on the wall provides descriptions in both Spanish and English. Our tacos and quesadillas are a welcome brunch after our first day on the Denver Orbital Trail.
I’ve provided several additional resources for those who want to tackle the Orbital Trail. I look forward to seeing you on the Trail.
So —
Don’t Go Anywhere . . . GO SOMEWHERE
Denver Orbital Trail Segment 16 Photo Highlights
